Dispersed camping up the Poudre is not camp-anywhere

Much of the land along the Poudre is the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, managed here by the Canyon Lakes Ranger District, and free dispersed camping is allowed on a lot of it. But “dispersed” does not mean you can pull off anywhere and set up. The district has clear rules, and they exist because heavy use was damaging streambanks and roadsides.

In general, you can camp within about 300 feet of many Forest Service roads on national forest land, keeping your vehicle within 300 feet of the road and at least 100 feet away from water and meadows. Some busy roads are different: near certain popular access roads you may only camp at sites marked with numbered posts. And there are no-camping buffers along Highway 14 and a few other roads, plus restrictions near some trailheads and trails. You also cannot camp at trailheads or day-use parking.

The map that settles which roads allow this is the Motor Vehicle Use Map, or MVUM, along with the district’s dispersed-camping map. Burn-scar areas may be closed, and fire restrictions can change quickly, so check those before you light anything.

Before heading up to camp, read the Canyon Lakes Ranger District dispersed-camping and use-restriction pages from the U.S. Forest Service for current rules and maps.